For self sustainable Africa, we need direct investment
20 November 2013
News24
People need a good condition to do it by themselves. In our corrupt countries, with poor local political decision making killing our economies especially by careless government officials who don't know what's best for us in Africa, we need more of foreign direct investment.
As we have hard workers who have served the people in business, development, government, sports, NGO's, NPO's, etc and made our countries or continent to be at this extent of decency, for the next phase its time for their work to be appreciated. There are ways to practically share their expertise and experience.
As they benefit us the approach must be more of direct investment allowing them for their resourcefulness to be the drivers of our economy and development so that more people become directly part of activities and empowerment.
This is to set more people to see the need to be the drivers of better life at their individual level.
With the skills and experienced gained, this will make us within our system to become of capital value, self sufficient and self sustainable therefore gaining good and competitive position on the global system. We have a lot to offer we just need conditions and means to bring the best in us.
We should allow our role models to be in the leadership to help us, for that inspiring more right people at what they good at to be active for economic growth.
Fin24 states "poverty isn't falling fast enough, according to the report, which was produced in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and UN Development Programme (UNDP)."
"The pace of poverty reduction in most countries is falling short of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) targets," the report found. The world needs us, that is its main goal in helping us, so let us be part of it.
Especially here in South Africa, the biggest economy in Africa, let us see example at leaders like Desmond Tutu, Thabo Mbeki, Trevor Manuel, Kofi Annan, Barrack Obama, Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Helen Zille, Danny Jordan, Mamphele Ramphela also the young and promising like Bennie McCarthy, Lindiwe Mazibuko and others not in the lime light.
As leaders of global standard in how they claim the share for Africa, with them there is evident potential for more people's lives to get on the right direction. With their hard work they have paved the way. They have put our continent on the map. Let's not let their track be filled with dust.
With more efforts like them and improved our continent will become better and better. As it is found that Africa economic development is growing more than ever when compared with other continents that will make more individuals to have more to do in changing our own lives. Not just in NGOs and NPOs expansions. This phase provide the opportunity to have our own businesses.
More people are investing in their careers and becoming highly skilled. They go out there hungry for what the developing Africa can offer. They are looking for good opportunities to prove and apply themselves with intentions to make more of what they work on, create opportunities and absorb more people.
Such quality young minds channelled to great work of leading, with those who had championed economic empowerment would lead to quantity positive change. More lives would be active and be of service in improving their own lives.
The reason for some of the corruption incidences is because more people in government are not well skilled. Even the political processes they use to select who must be service providers for the people are not really helping the people, especially people living in poverty are the ones who become end receivers of poor services.
Look at how quality politicians don't get elected and appointed to proper positions for which they would be better in. An example in South Africa is between the quantity popular politician, the current African National Congress (ANC) and current national president, Jacob Zuma who was elected over a good quality politician, the former ANC and former national president Thabo Mbeki by the ANC to become the president of the country.
As the Zuma result can't reach the necessary quantity and quality of service to provide for the public. The economic growth is slow that means more poverty. Another e xample is that of the current president of ZANU PF and about thirty years serving as president of the already economically crushed Zimbabwe, the old Robert Mugabe over well fitting politician who are of good quality than him to take the demanding responsibility of being a president.
These are some of the concerns foreign direct investment can address, allowing people who have proven to be good quality and excelled in the commitment to handle our development, economy, etc for growth. If those opportunities are available, they must be made known to the people so that they can be proactive, prepare, stay ready and take best options to attract them for our countries.
In Africa we cannot wait until the government become uncontrollably shutting our economies, very corrupt, start to not consider peoples human rights and frustrating hard workers who want to see our society change for the better.
We need to good technical handling counter to bad political decision making to avoid another Zimbabwe. The foreign direct investment approach is needed for us to be able to meet each other halfway to save the continent.
This approach with market drive, emphasizing entrepreneurship, and financial empowerment will address the shortfalls we dread in making our society and economy open and free. With education, more people becoming professionals they must see the value in per capita.
Each individual including children must have enough on the pot. With people learning the culture of money saving, our children will be less dependent on loans and uncontrollable debts. This will complement the local wealth well. For Africa being able to open opportunities for our children and people. This foreign direct investment will go a long way.
It must be encouraged for countries to diversify their economies for growth. We need our Africa to flourish in commercial services, commercial agriculture, commercial mineral resources and be industrial manufacturing. Fin24 states Services, especially in telecommunications and finance, as well as insurance, were major growth sectors."
To dwell on Small farmers, they must work their land and produce value and be able to make a living. Within the villages there must be vegetable, fruit, herbs and medicine, food, juice, etc factories and labs to buy and process their harvest and put it on the markets.
Villages as they have time to pay close attention to their crops and live stock; they must be supported to produce organic foods.
They need the right development and support and emphases on education to enable them to know how to take advantage and earn from it. Their produce ne eds to be coordinated with private sector, be given attention so that they can be channelled and directed to the right markets.
Allowing continuous research and development for improvement and innovation. Their land and development must be able to feed all of us and the world. Nothing must go to waste while they can earn from it. Initiative like AGRA which works to achieve a food secure and prosperous Africa through the promotion of rapid, sustainable agricultural growth from smallholder farmers need to reach out to more people.
As in smallholder farming the majority are women, working with minimal resources and little government support, AGRA aims is to ensure that they have what they need to succeed: good seeds and healthy soils; access to markets, information, financing, storage and transport; and policies that provide them with comprehensive support to be able to function well on the competitive system, while also protecting the environment.
For us to ensure that more of our people identifies with and find it acceptable, to reach the hearts of more people in all the different sectors we need more women involved. In our quest for Africa to economically expand, for us to venture into global open and free markets such as in America, Europe, Asia, etc including within Africa it is for us including the Diaspora to help each other to identify the favourable opportunities in different places of the world.
There is great opportunity for better life in Africa if we all positively look forward and do all we can in its rise. More than ever what we have so far in local business with foreign direct investment is what can help to empower more people.
Step by step African is to stand with the world. For the next step it is needed to directly invest in people. That will accelerate self sufficient and self sustainable growth, empowering and benefiting more people. That will greatly help local business aspirations.
Original article by Sivuyile S. Sesi
Category: General